The Hydropower Testing Network (HyTN) Program, developed in a partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Water Power Technologies Office, the Office of Technology Transitions, and ENERGYWERX aims to raise the technology readiness of hydropower innovations. The HyTN Program meets this objective by connecting U.S.-based technology developers to facilities that can provide the testing capabilities needed to increase the technical readiness and commercialization potential of innovative approaches to support the hydropower industry.

Recently the DOE announced the selection of twelve technology developers that will receive support through the HyTN Program, to perform tests to advance the readiness of their hydropower technologies. Radmantis  is one such technology developer selected and matched with Verdantas Flow Labs to conduct proof-of-concept flume testing to evaluate how selective fish passage can be incorporated within a fishway at a hydropower project. Radmantis emerged as a leader in uncrewed fish management for fin-fish aquaculture, however the proprietary robotic fish sorting technology has potential as a facilitator of selective fish passage within the hydropower industry. Equipped with advanced underwater imaging technology and informed by Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based technologies, the Radmantis device can be trained to detect and classify fish based on morphological phenotypes, species identification, size, health indicators, or behavior. Utilizing Radmantis as a ‘smart’ fish passage system requires that it be incorporated with physical fishway structures (i.e., fish ladder, lift, culvert, bypass pipe) to allow robotic imaging paired with control mechanisms to route fish into different paths based on the outcome of machine-learning inference. Members of native species are routed through the fishway, while nuisance organisms or species of interest (i.e., listed species) are instead guided into a local holding facility for subsequent removal or inspection.

Verdantas Flow Labs will work with Radmantis to design a research project to evaluate the efficacy of the Radmantis technology to identify species passing through the device and selectively extract individual fish of interest and divert them to a bypass or collection. Radmantis will be deployed with Verdantas Flow Labs steel recirculating test flume to allow for the evaluation of two or more morphologically similar fish species (i.e., Rainbow and Brown Trout), released within the flume under various water approach velocities up to and through the device. Project outcomes will build on a wealth of experience in AI workflows and potentially confirm Radmantis as a selective fish passage technology for deployment within the hydropower industry. Laboratory flume testing is expected to commence in the summer of 2025 with a full report submitted to DOE by year end.

Verdantas Flow Labs is a recognized leader in the field of fish passage design, research and development. Our fisheries biologists and engineers have conducted numerous laboratory flume studies to evaluate fish passage technologies, guidance devices, protection screens, and through turbine survival. Many of these laboratory studies have progressed to the field, allowing for the evaluation of fish behavior, passage, and survival under real-world conditions at hydropower projects.

Do you have an innovative fish passage device, ClimateTech, BlueTech, or other flow-related technology requiring testing to advance its commercial readiness? Please connect with Dan Giza, Senior Consultant (dgiza@verdantas.com) to discuss how Verdantas Flow Labs can support your R&D needs and even assist in identifying funding.

Project Features:

• Innovative Fish Passage Technology
• AI Camera Computing
• Laboratory Recirculation Flume Testing
• Research and Development
• Proof-of-Concept Evaluation
• Data Evaluation and Reporting